Intermittent Fasting 16:8 for Beginners

What is 16:8?

You don't eat for 16 hours. Then you eat during the next 8 hours. That's all.

You don't need special food. You only change the time when you eat.

The 16-hour period begins from the moment the last meal is finished. So if you finish dinner at 8 pm, you eat again at noon the next day. And you sleep for about 8 of those hours, so it's easier than it sounds.

Pick your hours

Choose the hours that fit your day. Here are a few ideas:

I like noon – 8 pm. I skip breakfast. I can still have dinner with friends.

What can I drink?

When you don't eat, you can drink things with no calories:

• Water
• Black coffee
• Tea without sugar

But not these:

• Juice, soda, smoothies
• Coffee with sugar or a lot of milk
• Snacks, even small ones

A little milk in your coffee is not a big deal. But if you want to do it right, drink it black.

What happens in your body?

• First 12 hours. Your body uses the food from your last meal.
• After about 12 hours. Your body starts to use more fat for energy.
• After about 16 hours. Your liver turns fat into ketones. Ketones are a backup fuel, and your body uses them for energy too.

These hours are not exact. They are different for every person.

Will I lose weight?

You can. But the reason is simple. When you have fewer hours to eat, you usually eat less.

Fasting is not magic. Studies show it works about as well as just eating less (like this one). So what you eat still matters. For me 16:8 just made eating less much easier.

Don't forget protein

This is a mistake I see a lot. When you eat 2 meals instead of 3, it's easy to eat too little protein. Then you feel more hungry, and you can lose muscle.

What helps me:

• Try to get 25–40 g of protein in every meal.
• Start your first meal with protein: eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, chicken, fish, tofu, beans.
• Look at your protein for the whole day, not for one meal.

You don't have to weigh your food. You can count protein from a photo.

How to start

1. Start easy. 16 hours feels like a lot? Try 14 hours first. Add 1 hour when it feels okay.
2. Start after dinner. Then you sleep through most of it.
3. Drink water. In the morning you may feel hungry, but often you're just thirsty.
4. Don't eat too much after. Have a normal meal, not everything you skipped.
5. Don't be hard on yourself. Late dinner with friends? It's fine. Just start again tomorrow.

The first few days can be hard. After that it gets much easier. You stop thinking about breakfast.

Mistakes to avoid

• Eating a lot more than before in your 8 hours.
• Eating almost no protein.
• Trying 18 or 20 hours in the first week.
• Thinking a latte is "just coffee".

Talk to a doctor first if…

Fasting is not for everyone. Talk to your doctor first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have diabetes, or had problems with eating disorders. This article is not medical advice.

How Broqo helps

I wanted to see my fasting timer and my meals in one place. So I added fasting to Broqo.

You pick a plan: 14:10, 16:8, 18:6 or 20:4. Then you set your first and last meal time.

When you start a fast, you choose when it began. You can start from your last meal logged in Broqo, right now, or choose another time. Then you see how much time is left and what is happening in your body.

When you reach your goal, you get a notification. Your fasts are saved, so you can see your week and your streak.

When it's time to eat, take a photo of your food or just say what you ate. You'll see how much protein you still need today.

Questions